Police: Drunk driver leaves road, damages multiple structures

Staff ReportsDecember 22, 2018

A Lake Havasu City man was arrested Sunday on charges of DUI when his truck was found on the front lawn of a Palo Verde Boulevard residence. Police say that Tyler C. Watson, 34, drove through a residential property at about 1:30 p.m., where he struck a vehicle, a flag pole, a brick wall and city property.

When officers arrived, Watson’s vehicle had sustained significant damage, the police report said. According to police, Watson appeared to be visibly intoxicated at the scene, and the odor of alcohol was present on his breath. An open container of beer was located in his back seat, the report said.

Watson allegedly told officers he was traveling home at the time of the accident. According to the report, he told officers he had alcohol at a Christmas party the evening prior, but did not consume alcohol since then. Watson also allegedly told officers he smoked marijuana earlier in the day, prior to driving his truck.

Officers subjected Watson to a series of field sobriety tests, allegedly confirming his intoxicated state. According to police, Watson’s vehicle was no longer drivable, and was towed from the scene. The vehicle was later searched, and officers allegedly found more than 12 grams of marijuana within.

Watson was transported to Lake Havasu City Jail, where a breath test registered his blood-alcohol concentration as 0.12. Watson’s blood was also drawn to be tested for alcohol or drug content.